Improvement in coloring photographic pictures



UNITED States PATENT OFFI E.

AARON O. DAYTON, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN COLORING PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 7,160, dated March 1 2,1850.

To all whom it may concern.- 7 I Be it known that I, AARON 0. DAYTON, oft the city of Washington, in the District of O0- lumbia, have invented anew and Improved Mode of Colorin g PhotographicPictures Taken upon Paperor-upon any Transparent or Trans lucent Substance; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full and exact description thereof. r

To enable'others to use my invention, I describe the process as follows,viz:

If the picture be upon paper, I soak it in water for some hours, thetime being dependent upon the character of the paper; but if the waterbe hot when it ispoured on, twenty-tour hours will generally be foundsuflicient. I then pour off the water and place the paper between sheetsof blotting-paper until nearly all the water is absorbed from it, butleaving it moist. I then attach it to a plate of glass (the face of thepicture being next to the glass) with some adhesive substance which istransparent, such as Canada balsam. It Canada balsam be used, the glassshould be heated, and the balsam likewise, until it willfiow freely; orthe latter may be rendered more liquid by mixing with it a little etheror spirits of turpentine and applied without being heated. When thebalsam has become sufiiciently hard to produce a firm adherence of thepaper to the glass theapaper is slightly moistened with water, and isrubbed oft with the fingers until nothing remains upon the glass but athin film having the photographic picture'upon-it. After .the film hasbecome perfectly dry acoat of .hard white varnish is spread upon it,which renders it transparent. When the varnish has dried the colors,finely' ground in oil, are'spread upon it, and are seen through theglass. The shades of the photographic picture form the shades of thepainting, or, it not sufliciently "strong,theyrmay-bonstrengthened bysuitable colorslaid behind them upon the varnish inthe manner I havementioned. a If the paper be very thin, the soaking and rubbing may bedispensed with.

The principal point of my invention is the coloring of these picturesfrom behind, and to effect this upon paper I commonly use the abovepreparatory process; but it-is obvious that the invention is applicableto all photographic pic-

